System and method for the verification of medication

ABSTRACT

A system for verifying proper possession of a medication where a reader device scans a code printed on the medication to extract an embedded serial number. A first server queries a prescription database, which retrieves patient information associated with the embedded serial number. The patient information is returned to the reader device and a match determination is made. The patient information may include a name and photograph.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 62/294,044 filed Feb. 11, 2016, which is hereby incorporated byreference as if restated in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally tosystems and methods for verifying legitimate possession of aprescription medication.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention helps alleviate the abuse of prescription drugs byproviding a system and method for verifying individual pills by scanninga code printed on said pills, retrieving associated information aboutthe person legally prescribed the pills in question (e.g., their name),and comparing that information to information about the person actuallypossessing the pill (e.g., against their government issued ID). Drugs,particularly medicines, have the power to treat illnesses and preventdisease when used properly. Drugs also have the power to be abused,cause addiction, and damage the human body when used improperly. Inlight of this, governments have implemented methods to control thedistribution and use of drugs most likely to be abused. Generallyspeaking, controls appear in the form of prescription requirementswherein a person must be prescribed a set amount of the drug by alicensed medical professional in order to legally possess and use saiddrug. Unfortunately, control over prescribed pills is lost once theypass over the dispensary's counter. Within the realm of prescriptionmedication controls, drugs most likely to be abused are often furtherclassified and regulated. Typically, a certain number of these drugs areoutright banned from being possessed or used (e.g., heroin, cocaine) dueto their dangerous nature and relatively low utility in a medicalapplication. Another select group of drugs are permitted to be possessedand used by prescription, but face additional regulations and controls.These often include, without limitation, narcotics, benzodiazepines,sedatives, hypnotics, and central nervous system stimulants.

For example, in the United States, this regulation is achieved in partby the Controlled Substance Act.¹ Under the Controlled Substance Act,these drugs are categorized into “schedules.” Each schedule contains anumber of types of drugs and has varying degrees of control andregulation. Additionally, most states in the United States have aPrescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), which serves to bothprotect legitimate users of controlled prescription substances andprevent illegal diversion and use of controlled prescription drugs. Manystates have slightly different PDMPs but one feature that is typical ofa PDMP or similar program is a state prescription database (e.g., Ohiohas OARRS—Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System², Indiana has INSPECT³,etc.). These databases store information regarding the persons to whomcontrolled substances have been prescribed and information on thecontrolled substances itself including what was prescribed, when it wasprescribed, for how long the treatment is to last, what dosage wasprescribed, and the like. This information is used for many purposesincluding supporting access to legitimate medical use of controlledsubstances, identifying and deterring or preventing drug abuse anddiversion, facilitating and encouraging the identification, interventionwith and treatment of persons addicted to prescription drugs, informingpublic health initiatives through outlining of use and abuse trends, andeducating individuals about PDMPs and the use, abuse and diversion ofaddiction to prescription drugs.⁴ ¹ Seehttp://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/legislation/ucm148726.htm;http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/²https://www.ohiopmp.gov/Portal/Default.aspx³http://www.in.gov/pla/inspect/⁴http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/rx_monitor.htm

Despite these programs and other efforts, control prescription drugs areabused with great frequency. For example, in the United States, 52million people over the age of 12 have used prescription drugsnon-medically in their lifetime. In 2010, there were 8.76 millionprescription medicine abuses. Further, only 20% of prescription drugsare obtained from a doctor—54.2% of prescription drugs are obtained freefrom a friend or relative, 16.6% are bought or taken from a friend orrelative, 3.9% are obtained from a drug dealer or a stranger, 0.3% arepurchased through the internet, and the rest are unaccounted for.⁵ Amongthe reasons cited by teens to improperly use prescription drugs includesthat they are easy to get from parent's medicine cabinets (cited by 62%of those surveyed), they are available everywhere (52%), they are notillegal drugs (51%), they are easy to get through other people'sprescriptions (50%), and they can claim to have a prescription if caught(49%).⁶ ⁵http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/popping-pills-prescription-drug-abuse-in-america⁶Id.

As the data shows, the current attempts to control prescription drugsare insufficient. One shortfall of the system is that individual pillscannot be verified. For example, if one were to legitimately possess aprescription container for a drug (for the purposes of this examplecalled “Drug X”), the pills in the Drug X container could be substitutedwith pills containing a controlled substance (for the purposes of thisexample called “Drug Y”). Upon a cursory review, one may conclude thatthe person legitimately possesses Drug X, when in reality the personpossesses Drug Y in a container intended to carry Drug X. In anotherexample, a person may possess a prescription container for the samecontrolled substance Drug Y, but be filled with illegally obtained DrugY pills. Again, upon a cursory review one may conclude that the personlegitimately possesses the Drug Y. Stated another way, the user maybecome addicted to Drug Y during the course of taking a legitimateprescription for Drug Y. The person may keep the Drug Y prescriptioncontainer and continue to re-fill it with additional, illegallyobtained, Drug Y pills. Further still, if a person is found with a legalor illegally possessed drug outside of the prescription container, thepills cannot be individually identified and thus, verification oflegitimate possession is not possible. Some of these shortfalls arelikely contributors to the continued prescription drug abuse epidemic.

Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for the verification ofmedication that is capable of individually and securely verifyingindividual pills. Such a system and method may be used by lawenforcement officials to quickly, accurately, and securely identify if aperson legally possesses a controlled substance or other prescriptionmedication. The present invention provides such a system and method forthe verification of medication that is capable of individually verifyingprescription drugs.

The present invention comprises a coding system whereby a medication hasbeen marked with a code, such as a bar code or a quick response (QR)code. The code comprises an embedded serial number that is displayedwhen the code is read or interpreted by a reader device. The serialnumber includes a lot or batch number and may include furtherinformation such as the identity of the manufacturer. In this way, allmedications of a lot or batch may be marked with the same code, whichsimplifies the marking process such that a unique code need not beprinted on each medication. The serial number may be linked to a patientat the time a prescription is filed and be stored in a prescriptiondatabase.

The present invention further comprises a patient identification systemwhereby a software application (an “app”) or website on a mobile deviceis designed to read and interpret the code. For example, withoutlimitation, the code may be a QR code that is read by the camera on asmart phone and the information is transmitted to the app forprocessing. A comparison may then be made to a code printed on theprescription bottle to determine whether a match is made and thus thatthe pills in the bottle are legitimately possessed by the person.

Alternatively, if a prescription bottle is not present (i.e., the personpossesses loose pills), or if the code on the pill does not match theprescription bottle, the code on the pills may be scanned using the appand the person's name may be entered. The app may then relay thisinformation to a first server, which may query the appropriateprescription database. The prescription database may return the name ofthe person legally prescribed the pills in question. This name may bereturned to the device, via the first server, and the device maydetermine if there is a match between the entered name (the personactually possessing the pills in question) and the returned name (theperson legally prescribed the pills in question). In other exemplaryembodiments, it may be unnecessary to enter the name of the personactually possessing the pills. In such embodiments, the name of theperson legally prescribed the pills may be returned and the user maydetermine whether the returned name matches the name of the personactually possessing the pills.

It is contemplated that this system and method may be used in thecontext of law enforcement to verify the legality of the person'spossession of the prescription medication. However, this application ismerely exemplary and other applications are contemplated includingquality control, preventing drug interactions, and any other applicationwhere verification of prescription medication is desirable. Likewise,exemplary users of the present invention include, but are not limitedto, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, manufacturers, andanyone else involved in the care, handling, and regulation ofprescription drugs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In addition to the features mentioned above, other aspects of thepresent invention will be readily apparent from the followingdescriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments, wherein likereference numerals across the several views refer to identical orequivalent features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary pill for use with the system ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of another exemplary pill for use with the systemof FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary pill container for use withthe system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed view of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary method in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is another exemplary method;

FIG. 8 is another exemplary method; and

FIG. 9 is another exemplary method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, specific details such as detailed configuration andcomponents are merely provided to assist the overall understanding ofthese embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should beapparent to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications of the embodiments described herein can be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Inaddition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions areomitted for clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary system in accordance withthe present invention. A medication 12 such as a pill, tablet, capsule,or the like is marked with a code 24. The code 24 may be aone-dimensional code such as a UPC, EAN, Code 39, Code 128, ITF, Code93, Codabar, GS1 Databar, MSI Plessey or the like. Alternatively, thecode 24 may be a two-dimensional code such as a quick response(hereinafter “OR”) code, datamatrix code, PDS417, Aztec, or the like.FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 illustrate detailed views of exemplary medications 12marked with exemplary codes 24.

Two-dimensional codes are well known in the art. A brief description isprovided herein for completeness but is not intended to be limiting. Twodimensional codes are optically machine-readable labels containingencoded information about the item to which it is attached. The QR code,for example without limitation, consists of three alignment targets anda series of black modules (typically square markings) arranged in asquare grid on a white background, and are capable of being read by animaging device such as a camera. Some of the black modules are directedto formatting information and the rest are generally directed to theunderlying data, which can be any kind of information. The image isoften processed using Reed-Solomon error correction until the image canbe appropriately interpreted. The required data is then extracted frompatterns that are present in both horizontal and vertical components ofthe image and is generally interpreted in numeric, alphanumeric,byte/binary, and Kanji forms, though other forms are possible.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the code 24 comprisesencoded data for translating at least a portion of the code 24 into aserial number. The serial may be 10-12 digits, though any number ofdigits is contemplated, and may comprise letters, numbers, othersymbols, or some combination thereof. In other exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention, the code 24 may be a series of non-encodedletters and/or numbers (i.e., a list of printed letters and/or numbers)of any number of digits. Essentially, in such an embodiment, the code 24is the serial number. The code 24 or the translated, embedded serialnumber may comprise a lot or batch number. For example, withoutlimitation, the code 24 may be translated into the serial number, thelot, and batch number. In other exemplary embodiments, at least aportion of the embedded serial number may be the lot and batch number.The code 24 may additionally comprise other embedded information suchas, but not limited to, the manufacture date, the manufacture's name oridentification information, the content of the medication 12, or anyother information about the medication 12 and its manufacture. Theserial number may be determined by any known or future standardizedsystem. The serial number may comprise any numbered of coded or uncodedportions that are intended to convey information about the medication12.

The code 24 may be placed on the medication 12 during manufacture by anyknown method. Alternatively, the code 24 may be placed on the medication12 at a later stage. A number of methods and systems for imprintingmedication 12 with information are known in the arts. In exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, a system and method is used thatprints the code 24 with a sufficient resolution that it may be read by arelatively low-resolution camera, such as but not limited to, one on asmart phone or other mobile device. The ink used to print the code 24may be any ink that is safe for human consumption, such as but notlimited to, those approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The surface of the medication 12 may comprise a coating or surfacetexture amenable to the adherence of the ink.

The medication 12 having the code 24 printed thereon may then be placedin a storage container 14. The storage container 14 may be any containerfor storing medication 12. In exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, the storage container 14 may be a prescription bottle. Inexemplary embodiments of the present invention, only medication 12 fromthe same lot or batch, such that it contains the same code 24, may beplaced in a single storage container 14. Stated another way, medication12 of a “split lot” or a “split batch” would require separate storagecontainers 14. This simplifies the printing process, such that a uniquecode need not be marked on each medication 12.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed view of the storage container 14. Thestorage container 14 may further comprise a label having patient andprescription information 28. In exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention the storage container 14 further comprises a correspondingcode 26. The corresponding code 26, like the code 24, may be aone-dimensional code, a two-dimensional code, or the like. In exemplaryembodiments of the present invention the code 24 matches, is identicalto, or is otherwise associated with the corresponding code 26. It isnotable that the corresponding code 26 is optional and may not berequired for exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

The code 24 and the corresponding code 26 may be configured to be readand interpreted by a reader device 16. The reader device 16 may be amobile device such as a smart phone, camera, tablet, laptop or the like.The reader device 16 may additionally be a dedicated scanning device orattachment for a mobile device, such as a code reading device, ascanner, terminal or any other fixed or mobile device or attachmentconfigured to read and interpret one and two dimensional codes 24. Thereader device 16 may be configured to read and interpret the code 24 andthe corresponding code 26, input and receive other information, displaythe encoded information, and input, receive, and display matchinformation. In exemplary embodiments, the encoded information is theserial number comprising at least a lot or batch number and the matchinformation is a message displaying “MATCH” or “NO MATCH” or similar.

As will be explained in greater detail, the system and method describedherein may be used by law enforcement officials to determine whether aperson carrying medication 12 is legally permitted to possess or usesaid medication 12. This information may be used to make decisionsregarding whether to pursue a further investigation, continue detentionof the person, perform a search of the person, their dwelling, vehicle,personal belongings, and the like, or to make an arrest. Alternatively,other applications are contemplated including quality control,preventing drug interactions, and any other application whereverification of prescription medication is desirable. Any purpose orapplication is contemplated.

As best illustrated in FIG. 1, the reader device 16 may be incommunication with a first server 18 via a communications network 20,such as the internet. The first server 18 may likewise be incommunication with a prescription database 22 via the communicationsnetwork 20. The prescription database 22 may be part of a state orfederally controlled prescription database program, such as but notlimited to the PDMP. The prescription database 22 may be a singledatabase or comprise multiple databases that are linked and may bequeried together. This may include, but is not limited to, a nationalnetwork of state prescription databases or a national prescriptiondatabase.

The first server 18 may receive the serial number and other informationfrom the reader device 16 and send a query to the prescription database22 to compare the serial number and other information against patientregistration information. The query may be an automated request forinformation from the prescription database 22. As will be described withgreater detail herein, the first server 18 may also determine whichprescription database 22 to query.

In other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, only theprescription database 22 for the state in which the user is located oremployed in may be queried. In still other exemplary embodiments, theprescription database 22 for the state in which the user is located oremployed to work in and the adjoining states may be queried. The queryof any number of prescription databases 22 for any number of states inany combination is contemplated. The prescription database 22 to bequeried may be pre-determined and thus the first server 18 may serve asa relay in communications between the reader device 16 and theprescription database 22.

The prescription database 22 may perform an automated query anddetermine patient information associated with the serial number. Thepatient information may include, but is not limited to, the patient'sname, address, physical description, prescription information,photograph, and the like. The patient information may then betransmitted back to the first server 18 and back to the reader device16.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the reader device 16may also be configured to receive and transmit other input including,but not limited to, the person's name, state where prescription wasfilled, particular database to be queried, date of birth, and otheridentifying information. This information may likewise be transmittedvia the communications network 20 to the first server 18. The firstserver 18 may only check to see if the patient information matches thename information transmitted by the reader device 16. The first server18 may then transmit the match information back to the reader device 16to be displayed.

In other exemplary embodiments, the name and the serial numberinformation may be transmitted to the prescription database 22 where theprescription database 22 determines whether the information is a matchand relays back the match information. In still other exemplaryembodiments, the prescription database 22 may transmit correspondingpatient information to the first server 18 and the information may berelayed to the reader device 16 and the reader device 16 may determineif there is a match and display the match information. Regardless, thereader device 16 may be configured to display match information to theuser including whether or not a match was determined.

In other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, only the serialnumber may be transmitted to the prescription database 22 and theprescription database 22 may return the patient information associatedwith the serial number to the reader device 16 such that the user maymake a match determination.

In still other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, thereader device 16 may read the code 24 and the corresponding code 26 anddisplay match information. Alternatively, the reader device 16 may readthe code 24 and the corresponding code 26 and display the serial numbersfor comparison.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method in accordance with the presentinvention. In step 110 the code 24 may be placed on the medication 12.The code 24 may be placed by printing or any other known method formarking the medication 12. The printing may be accomplished at themanufacturing facility, at the packaging facility, at the dispensingpharmacy, at a separate printing facility, or any other place prior todispensing the medication 12 to the person. In step 112 thecorresponding code 26 is placed on the storage container 14. Likewise,the corresponding code 26 may be placed by printing or any other knownmethod for marking the storage container 14. Finally, in step 114 thecode 24 and the corresponding code 26 may be associated with patientinformation and linked thereto and stored in the prescription database22.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention this information maybe gathered and linked to or otherwise associated with the patient whenthe prescription is ordered or filled and may be associated and causedto be placed in the prescription database 22 by the doctor, pharmacist,or other medical professional. The patient information may be manuallyentered into a computer system. For example, without limitation, thismay be done for new patients or when updating patient information. Inother exemplary embodiments, the patient information may beautomatically entered from information already known by the doctors,pharmacist, or other medical professional. For example, withoutlimitation, this may be done for existing patients by automaticallypopulating a form or uploading information from the medicalprofessional's files. The steps listed are merely exemplary and may beperformed in any order. Additionally, various steps may be repeated oromitted.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method for verifying proper possessionof medication. In step 210 the code 24 on the medication 12 may bescanned using the reader device 16. In step 212 the information from thecode 24 may be transmitted by the reader device 16 to the first server18 via the communications network 20. In step 214, the first server 18may determine which prescription database 22 to query and in step 216the appropriate prescription database 22 is queried. In exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, the prescription database 22 isthe state-controlled PDMP, and thus the first server 18 may determinewhich state's prescription database 22 to query. This may be done by theinput from the user and the transmission of additional information fromthe reader device 16 to the first server 18. This information mayinclude a state selected by the user according to the persons' licenseinformation, stated information about the persons' residence, locationof prescribing physician, or location of dispensing pharmacy.

In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the first server 18may make an assumption on which state databases 22 are to be queriedincluding by first querying the database of the state where the user islocated and if no matching information is found, by subsequentlyquerying databases 22 at an increasing geographic distance untilmatching information is found or all databases 22 have been queried.

Next, in step 218 the corresponding information may be retrieved fromthe prescription database 22 and transmitted to the first server 18. Thefirst server 18 may then transmit the information to the reader device16. In step 220, the transmission of information may be accomplished bythe communications network 20.

FIG. 8 illustrates another exemplary method. In step 310 the readerdevice 16 is used to scan the code 24 on the medication 12. Next, instep 312 the persons' name may be entered into the reader device 16. Instep 314 the name and serial number from the code 24 may be transmittedto the first server 18. In step 316 the first server 18 may determinewhich prescription database 22 to query. Step 316 may be accomplished byany of the several methods previously discussed and in step 318, theappropriate prescription database 22 may be queried. In step 320 theprescription database 22 may determine if there is a match between thename and the code information. The match information may then betransmitted to the first server 18 in step 322. Finally, in step 324,the first server 18 may transmit the match information to the readerdevice 16. Alternatively, the information may be transmitted from thedatabase and the match determination may be made by the first server 18or by the user of the reader device 16.

FIG. 9 illustrates another method whereby in step 410 the code 24 on themedication 12 may be scanned using the reader device 16. In step 412 thecorresponding code 26 on the storage container 14 may likewise bescanned by the reader device 16. At step 414 it may be determined ifthere is a match by any of the several methods previously discussed. Ifthere is a match, as noted in step 416 the investigation may be ended.If there is no match, the same procedure may be followed for steps 418,420, 422, 424, 426, 428, and 430, which generally corresponds to steps312, 314, 316, 318, 320, 322, and 324 of FIG. 8, respectively. It iscontemplated that step 418 is optional and may be skipped and aprocedure similar to steps 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, and 220 of FIG. 7,respectively, may instead be followed.

The various methods discussed herein are merely exemplary and may beperformed in any order. Additionally, various steps may be repeated oromitted.

Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the optionalor preferred features of the other embodiments of the present invention.The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to beexhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. Theexemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the present invention so that others skilled in the artmay practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art willrealize that many variations and modifications may be made to thedescribed invention. Many of those variations and modifications willprovide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimedinvention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention onlyas indicated by the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for verifying proper possession of amedication comprising: a code printed on the medication comprising anembedded serial number; a corresponding code located on a medicationcontainer for said medication comprising said embedded serial number; areader device adapted to read the code and the corresponding code anddetermine said embedded serial number, receive a given name, andtransmit said embedded serial number and said given name; a prescriptiondatabase system comprising a number of prescription databases, whereineach prescription database is associated with a geographic area andcomprises patient information associated with serial numbers, whereineach of said prescription databases is configured to return anassociated patient name when the embedded serial number is queried; anda first server in communication with the reader device and theprescription database system, wherein said first server is adapted toreceive said embedded serial number and said given name from said readerdevice, determine which prescription database in the prescriptiondatabase system to query, query said prescription database, receive theassociated patient name from the prescription database system, determinematch information, and transmit said match information to said readerdevice; wherein said match information is determined by comparing theentered patient name with the associated patient name; wherein saidmatch information is displayed on said reader device.
 2. The system ofclaim 1 further comprising: a wireless transmitter and receiver locatedin said reader device and configured to place said reader device incommunication with the first server.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein:all medication for a single prescription are marked with the same code.4. The system of claim 1 further comprising: an imagining device locatedon or in the reader device and configured to read the code and thecorresponding code; and a processor located on or in the reader deviceand configured to determine the embedded serial number from the code andthe corresponding code.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein: the code is aQR code.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein: the corresponding code is abar code.
 7. A system for verifying proper possession of a medicationcomprising: a code printed on the medication comprising an embeddedserial number; a reader device comprising: an imaging device adapted toread the code, a processor configured to translate said code into saidembedded serial number, and a wireless transmitter and receiverconfigured to transmit said embedded serial number; a prescriptiondatabase system comprising patient information associated with serialnumbers, wherein each of said prescription databases is configured toreturn associated patient information when the corresponding serialnumber is queried; and a first server in communication with the readerdevice and the prescription database system, wherein said first serveris adapted to receive said embedded serial number from said readerdevice, query said prescription database, receive the associated patientinformation, and transmit said associated patient information to saidreader device; wherein said reader device is configured to display saidassociated patient information for the user to make a matchdetermination;
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein: the embedded serialnumber comprises a lot number.
 9. The system of claim 7 wherein: theembedded serial number comprises a batch number.
 10. The system of claim7 wherein: the code is a QR code.
 11. The system of claim 7 wherein: thecode is a bar code.
 12. The system of claim 7 wherein: the associatedpatient information comprises a patient name and a patient photograph.13. The system of claim 7 wherein: the associated patient informationcomprises the medication type, the amount of medication prescribed, thedispensing date, and the expected duration of the prescription.
 14. Amethod for verifying proper possession of medication comprising thesteps of: providing a code printed on the medication comprising anembedded serial number, a reader device adapted to read the code anddetermine and transmit said embedded serial number, a prescriptiondatabase system comprising patient information associated with serialnumbers and configured to return the patient information associated witha queried serial number, and a first server adapted to receive saidembedded serial number from said reader device, query said prescriptiondatabase, receive the associated patient information, and transmit saidassociated patient information to said reader device; scanning the codeon the medication using the reader device; transmitting the embeddedserial number to the first server; querying the prescription databasesystem; transmitting the associated patient information to said readerdevice; displaying the associated patient information on the readerdevice; making a match determination.
 15. The method of claim 14wherein: the match determination is made by comparing the associatedpatient information with the given patient information provided by aperson being investigated.
 16. The method of claim 14 further comprisingthe steps of: providing a corresponding code comprising said embeddedserial number and being located on a medication container for themedication; and scanning the corresponding code on the medicationcontainer using the reader device.
 17. The method of claim 16 furthercomprising the steps of: making an initial match determination bycomparing the embedded serial number associated with the code to theembedded serial number associated with the corresponding code.
 18. Themethod of claim 17 wherein: the investigation is ended if the embeddedserial numbers associated with the code and the corresponding codematch.
 19. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:entering a name given by a person being investigated into the readerdevice; and comparing the name given by the person being investigatedwith the associated patient information.
 20. The method of claim 14wherein: the associated patient information comprises a name andphotograph.